Ill-equipped for war
George W. Bush will go down in the history books, for having led the country into war on false premises, jeopardized individual liberties, made America an international bully in the eyes of long-time allies, wrecked the federal budget, deserted conservative principles of governance, savaged the regulatory system, set back environmental progress and polarized the country even further.
It's hard to choose, but perhaps Mr. Bush's most dangerous sin is his embrace of bully boy tactics in international relations. The Defense Department last month confirmed that it's now official U.S. policy to threaten pre-emptive, unilateral strikes against nations thought to pose a threat.
The wisdom of that approach will be argued. But it should be obvious to Mr. Bush and his troll under the political bridge, Karl Rove, that it's dangerous to strike a warlike pose if you don't back it up with properly equipped warriors. That just invites potential enemies to test us, risking an international setback that will cost lives and resonate at the polls.
For example, the question for Kentucky, whose sons and daughters in the National Guard are at risk in the Bush war, is whether they were properly equipped for their dangerous assignments. Only in the face of extraordinary, courageous, open complaint from Staff Sgt. Brad Rogers of Paducah's 2113th Transportation Company, after the fatal shrapnel injury to Sgt. James Sherrill of Meade County, did the Army say it would provide the unit better trucks and armor.
The good news is that the 2113th has been reassured, by Adj. Gen. Donald Storm. The lingering question is why the issue ever had to come up.
The most powerful Kentuckian in Washington, Sen. Mitch McConnell, says he'll have the Department of Defense look into it. Let's hope he and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld don't play Alphonse and Gaston. Every Kentuckian with a "We Support the Troops" bumper sticker will be waiting to see
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